The Crosby in downtown Santa Ana, which closed indefinitely earlier this year after a deadly beating outside the restaurant-nightclub, has reopened as The North Left.

Owners Phil Nisco, Chris Alfaro and Marc Yamaoka have tapped critically acclaimed Laguna Beach chef Ryan Adams of Three Seventy Common Kitchen+Drink to oversee operations of the revamped concept, which opened in early June.

Adams remains chef-owner of Three Seventy, though we wonder if we’ll see him much in Laguna: He will be overseeing everything at North Left from front of the house operations to the menu – contemporary American fare with international influences.

Dishes include a dozen small plates such as salmon belly with asparagus, yogurt, egg, radish, sesame and chili; oxtail with pasta, sherry, ramps and beans; and clams on noodles. A rep for Adams says there are also “large steak, chicken and pork” plates available to share and served on custom three-foot cherry meat boards.

Three delectable sweets will be hard to resist: Halo Halo (cilantro-pineapple, coconut, and mango); chocolate torte; and strawberries with crème fraîche.

Adams’ team includes Aron Habinger, the chef at The Crosby since it opened in 2008. Ashley Guzman, formerly of Jason Quinn’s Playground, is the new pastry chef. She’s also worked at Michael Voltaggio’s ink. and at Osteria Mozza. Andy Markuson, formerly of Three Seventy Common, is the new manager.

North Left’s full bar selection includes barrel-aged liquors and classic cocktails Bottles prices are under $48. Hours are 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday.

Off the Clock happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday includes “Brown Bag Wines” for $15 or Bucket of Beers, 4 bottles for $15.

Top Chef arrives…

Twenty Eight, whose kitchen will be run by former Top Chef contestant Shirley Chung, is opening in the old Kimera space in Irvine. The restaurant is slated to open in August.

Chung, a fan favorite during Season 11 of Bravo’s Top Chef cooking competition, almost made it to the finale. The Beijing-born chef has worked for culinary icons José Andrés, Thomas Keller, Guy Savoy and Mario Batali. Stay tuned for more details. 19530 Jamboree, Irvine.

Pie-eyed…

At the Brea Mall, Blaze Pizza is slated to open a 1,000-square-foot restaurant in the recently remodeled food court later this summer, mall officials said.

The Irvine Co. appears to be doing a pizza switcheroo at two of its centers. In Quail Hill in Irvine, Johnny’s Real New York Pizza is replacing Red Brick. Johnny’s has two other locations in Orange County. At Harbor View in Newport Beach, Fresh Brothers, which offers deep dish and thin crust pizzas, is replacing Z Pizza. Also coming to Quail Hill in October is CHILL Pistachio Frozen Yogurt, the Irvine Co. said.

More openings…

Costa Mesa-based King’s Seafood Co. is expanding its Los Angeles brand, Water Grill, to San Diego and Orange County. The San Diego location opens in December. The local space hasn’t been announced, but the company is actively seeking a spot in O.C., chief executive Sam King told the Register.

Rita’s Ice is opening its next Orange County location in August at Northpark center in Irvine. The East Coast Italian ice chain has other locations in Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Dana Point. According to the chain’s website, new locations are coming soon to Anaheim Hills, Anaheim and Newport Beach.

San Francisco-based sourdough giant Boudin is opening a new cafe in Huntington Beach. The 3,000-square foot Boudin SF is coming to Five Points Plaza, 18541 Beach Blvd. Construction is under way to make improvements to the existing site, which will include a 665-square-foot patio. The restaurant is expected to open Aug. 28, according to Boudin reps.

Nancy Luna is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years reporting experience. She's been the Register's restaurant beat writer since 2005, covering some of the biggest players in the industry: In-N-Out, Chipotle, McDonald’s and Taco Bell. Luna also covers dining trends from food halls to food trucks. She writes with authority and is considered an expert in her field.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.